Tradeshow For Industrial Designers

A Specialized Trade Fair For Industrial Designers to Meet Product Manufacturers to Sell Their Designs, Creations and Innovative Ideas

As Product Designers, it happens to very best of us. We visit industry tradeshows, carrying our top-notch, top-secret design portfolio, hoping for an opportunity to meet possible design buyers; we are there to talk with the manufacturers who might be willing to develop new products. In some cases, we fly from abroad to the specialized fairs, hoping for meeting possibilities.But, in reality, unless you have a pre-appointment, visiting manufacturers booths is not efficient at all; in most cases you are not able to reach the key people who are already in meetings with their prospective clients. As a designer, you are proud, and you do not want to brag. Considering the amount and creative energy you spent for your portfolio, you have the right to be so.Given this situation, at first, you might be frustrated as a designer, thinking that the companies do not give enough attendance to design; however they do, and they do a lot. Regular trade-shows where the manufacturing companies are exhibiting to sell their products is simply not the best place and time to meet them. Indeed, it is a bad time; Meeting companies head-on is even more efficient.So why do designers choose to visit the trade fairs, in order to try establish business contacts? Because, the tradeshow is where the crowd is; that is the first idea that pop-ups when you think of where you could find all the companies at a single location, at a single time. In this case, it is not the tradeshows that you want, but the opportunity to meet decision makers.So how can we, as designers looking out for prospective design clients, reach these busy product manufacturers? Well, we can reach them all at once, again using trade-fairs. Indeed, they reach us all at once, through the specialized trade-shows for industrial design, where designers have booths rather than the companies, of course winning a design award is another channel which turns the conversation backwards, attracting prospective design buyers to you.One of such shows is the Product Design Days in Chennai, India. At first, it might seem a remote location for non-asian designers, however that is where the market is. Thousands of Indian product manufacturing companies, along with other Asian manufacturers, are going to be present there, checking industrial design portfolios, and making meetings to buy and procure design services.As a designer, having a booth in the Product Design Days in Chennai is an opportunity unlike any other. It is much better in terms of economic returns when compared to more prestigious European fairs where little commercial activity is present. At Chennai, in the core of Indian product manufacturing, the market is for designers. The participating designers have the choice in which companies to sell to.Visitors of Product Design Days are composed of potential design buyers: business owners and product managers. The event is only open to visitors who have pre-registered, thus guaranteeing that designers could reach their target customers and audience in the right way.Product Design Days also features several sub-events. First of these events is the Product Design Days conference, which aims to attract further businesses and product managers, and to bring together them in an environment to share experiences, inspiration, knowledge and skills.Furthermore, the Product Design Days will feature an award gallery where designers can exhibit their award winning product designs from acclaimed design awards, such as the A’ Design Award, in the last 5 years. This is also an opportunity to push your designs forward as the award gallery is an attractor for not only the manufacturers but the design oriented press.The Networking Dinners provide the opportunity for design industry professionals to share information, and to make business contacts in the Asian way: Face to Face, on the dining table. During the networking dinners, designers will find opportunity to contact and meet the manufacturers on equal grounds. Exhibiting at Designer Days in Chennai is a great opportunity, as it is truly designed for designers only. The sole purpose of the exhibition, apart from organizers benefits – which is really insignificant, is to create designers the opportunity to sell design. The event is promoted by UnitechExpo company, which not only have decades of expo-organization experience, but also employ a design oriented team, from top-management to staff, who in turn respect the designers. Furthermore, the event is endorsed by The International Council of Societies of Industrial Design - Icsid, Indo-Italian chamber of commerce and others.Participation is easy and affordable, but the space is limited. Designers who wish to participate and sell design services to manufacturers in Product Design Days as exhibitors could take one of the boot offers as listed in the product-design days website.The great thing is that once you are in Chennai, it is all set for you, as the booth offer also includes the construction of a fully built ready to use stand. As a design studio owner, it makes sense to participate. What you need to pack are few samples and prototypes., few well designed posters and of course few catalogues for giveaway.If you were to take a plane to another country to join a non-specialized trade fair, youwould be already paying %30 percent of the booth cost, so why not have a booth in the Product Design Days and get the most bang out for your buck. Apart from what you would spent normally for attending other fairs; accommodation and travel, there is only the booth and printing costs, and within the offers, are F&amp;B and Dinners and other event participation fees among with guest passes are included which makes sure that you do not spend more than what you would plan for.Who should join? My professional suggestion is that, product design studios that have more than 3 people staff could and should especially join. Upcoming product designers and smaller studios will also learn a lot with their participation. It might not be the Salone Satellite yet for the prestige, but for the return on investment, for finding clients and for commercialization possibilities, it should be definitely better. Side Note: Winners of A’ Design Award &amp; Competitions are provided an exclusive offer which is visible through their control panel, under offers section – the offer is based on the Designer Rankings, Distinguished Designer Program status, and Categories. To compare prices, you could first check productdesigndays.com and then login to adesignaward.com to see the offer for A’ Design Award winners.To remind you once more, Product Design Days is one of the very few trade fairs specialized for industrial design and product design. Product Design days is a product design trade show, where product designers talk face to face, directly to design buyers and manufacturers, presenting their studios, portfolios and designs. Disclaimer: We recently meet with the organizers here in Como, and were amazed with the amount of efforts they are putting through the event, their future plans and other-sub events, therefore we decided to go forward and spread the word with our design audience. To learn more visit Product Design Days – Chennai website at productdesigndays.com or do a google search for them. If you are an A&#039; Design Award member, you could also access a link to their website under the offers for award winners&#039; section.Exerpt:As Product Designers, it happens to very best of us. We visit industry tradeshows, carrying our top-notch, top-secret design portfolio, hoping for an opportunity to meet possible design buyers; we are there to talk with the manufacturers who might be willing to develop new products. In some cases, we fly from abroad to the specialized fairs, hoping for meeting possibilities.But, in reality, unless you have a pre-appointment, visiting manufacturers booths is not efficient at all; in most cases yo..